Mountain of Trouble
by Nova Gallaway
Summary: When Dundee and Drake learn the truth about mysterious phone calls Jake has been getting, but get sworn to secrecy, it put's them and the PAW Patrol in more danger then they could have ever imagined.
1. Questions and Curiosity

**Alright, here's the reason i haven't been updating as much as i wanted to. . . I hope you enjoy!**

 **Thanks to Titanflame for letting me use their character, Drake.**

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"Come on Ev," The ginger pup said in mild frustration. He tapped his front paw on one of the boards that made up the front porch of the cabin. The cabin he desperately wanted to go in and get warm with his mate. Unfortunately, she was having too much fun in the snow. "Please get your cute furry butt up here!"

She gave him an amused smile. "Just a second. . ." The husky turned back to the snowman she and Dundee had been making. She cast her frost blue eyes up and down the figure, and then narrowed them. "He needs a scarf." She realized.

Dundee shook his head. "Ev, Jake has plenty of extras. I'm sure he'll let us borrow one. . . Inside" The dingo stressed the last word more than little a bit.

Everest looked up at the porch and nodded. "Alright," She gave him a mischievous grin. Then, she started walking toward the porch. Suddenly, when she was about half way there, she broke into a run. As she got closed, the ginger pup's eyes got wider. He tried to move out of the way, but wasn't fast enough. She leaped from the bottom step to the porch and landed on top of him, putting him on his back.

The husky pressed her lips against his. After a few moments, she pulled away, "Got ya."

He kissed her again. And then after a few more seconds, he pulled away. "You sure did," he said as they kissed again. A few more moments of kissing later, the dingo took his mate by surprise by shoving her off and pinning her to the wood porch. "I'm usually on top, remember?" He kissed her again.

After a moment, she pulled away and giggled. Using her sexiest voice, she said "I know."

He leaned down to kiss her again when his attention was drawn to yelling inside. The dingo recognized the voice as Jake's. He closed his eyes to focus on what the normally calm man was saying. . .

"Would you dudes just leave me alone? . . . I'm not interested!" He said as he slammed down the receiver.

"Dundee," Everest said getting her mates attention. "Are you okay?"

He opened his eyes, and shook his head slightly. "Sorry. . ." He smiled. "Where were we?" The dingo leaned in and pressed his lips against hers once again. As the two pups continued to love each other, the ginger pup was slightly distracted. He just couldn't stop trying to figure out what could make Jake so upset.

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Drake stopped cast his silvery grey eyes at the almost copper colored sky. He had to get back to the cabin he now called home with the others before it started to snow. He started to walk again at a faster pace. The wolf knew his thick, black and brown fur could only keep him warm for so long before he would start to freeze. Once he knew he was getting closer, he broke into a run.

Eventually, just as the snow began to fall, the cabin came into view. In one leap he jumped from the ground, up three steps to the front deck. He turned the door handle with a paw, and then walked inside toward the fireplace.

Suddenly he heard something that made him stop. He glanced down the short hallway that lead to the bedrooms and focused on the voice. It was Jake's, which made perfect sense. Everest and Dundee were staying Ryder and the rest of the Paw Patrol after a mission. Ryder told them that it was too dangerous to come back to the cabin tonight because of the snow storm. For the same reason, Sandy, Jake's longtime girlfriend, stayed at Jake's Lodge with the rest of the staff and guests who would be snowed-in in the morning. She had sent Drake back up to the cabin to check on Jake and make sure he was okay.

At the moment however, the normally level headed young man seemed to be yelling at the phone. . .

"What can I do to make you guys leave me alone?" he said. There was a pause, and then Jake spoke again. "Other than that, because like I said the last hundred times, that will never happen!" Jake slammed the phone down. After a few more moments of silence, Drake heard footsteps come to the bedroom door. The wolf quickly walked to the kitchen to get a drink of water from his bowl.

Just as he put his head down and began lapping up the water, Jake walked into the kitchen. "How much of that did you hear?" The wolf stared at Jake with a blank look that made the man give a small smile. "Dude, don't give me that. . . Stealth kinda goes out the window when you jump on to the front porch from the ground."

After a few seconds, the wolf smiled and nodded. "Good point," His smile faded, "I only heard the last sentence or so."

"Good," Jake said as he started to walk down the hallway. "I'll get you a towel so you can dry off."

Drake narrowed his eyes as he watched the young man go. Whatever that phone call was about, Jake didn't want to talk about it.

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	2. History and Secrecy

The dingo opened his green eyes slowly and looked around the dark bedroom. His eyes first rested on his mate, and for a few moments, he couldn't help but stare at her snow white fur. Once again Dundee was reminded of how beautiful the husky was when she slept, then again, she was beautiful all the time.

He glanced up at the bed where Jake was supposed to be, but sheets were empty. Coupling that with the argument he heard earlier on the phone, made the dingo concerned. He carefully got out of the pup bed Jake made for him and Everest, and walked toward the door to the room. He glanced down the hallway and noticed a light on in the cabin's small living room, so he quietly moved toward it.

As Dundee reached the living room, he looked around. The dingo realized the fireplace was lit, and giving off the glow, and noticed a familiar figure standing at the large front window. He walked closer, and after a moment, he spoke. "Jake, are you okay?"

The young man turned the face the ginger pup. "Hey, Dundee. . . Did I wake you?"

The pup shook his head. "No. . . Not really." He walked into the room and stopped at the opposite end of the sofa from the human, and asked again. "Are you okay?

He looked down at the pup, then back out the window. "Yea dude. . . I'm fine. . ."

"You are not okay." A voice behind Dundee spoke. He turned to see that Drake had followed him down the hallway from the guest room and into the living room. He turned to the young man with a small smile. "Is that enough stealth for you, Jake?" The human only stared, so the wolf cast his silver eyes on the dingo's green ones. "I heard him yelling at his phone the other day. . ." He looked back at Jake. "He didn't want to talk about, so I let it go."

Jake looked back out the window into the darkness. "I'm okay . . . just a little frustrated."

Dundee shot Drake a look, then walked to the young man and stood next to him. He cast his eyes out the window as well. "I overheard the phone call yesterday."

"And. . ?" Jake didn't looked back at him.

"And I want to know what could make you, the calmest and most relaxed person I've ever met get that angry?" Dundee tried to catch the man's eyes, but was unsuccessful.

Drake walked to the other side of Jake and looked straight into the man's blue-grey eyes. "I'm sorry; tact has never been one of my strong suits . . ." Jake continued to look out the window. "Dundee and I are worried about you. . . And if Everest finds out you've been yelling at your phone, she'll worry about you too."

After a long moment of silence, Jake signed. He turned around and sat down on the sofa. Dundee followed and jumped upon the sofa next to him. Drake sat down on the floor next to the sofa and looked up at the man. Eventually, the Jake started to stroke the dingo's ginger fur. "Do either you know the story about Jake's Mountain?" When the two pups shook their heads, Jake continued. "Well, to make a long story short, my Grandpa Jake used to own the Mountain."

"Wow," Dundee remarked.

The human smiled at the memories that flooded his mind. "We were," he swallowed hard, "very close. . . When he passed away. . . He left everything to me." Jake smiled. "The mountain and enough money to build and run the small Ski Lodge I've always wanted to, and then some."

The wolf smiled. "He wanted you to have your dream."

Jake nodded. "Now, my lodge has been open for almost five years."

"Wow." Dundee said again.

"This lodge . . . this mountain, is my life." Jake smiled and the ginger pup noticed tears start to form in the corner of his grey-brown eyes. "Last year, Jake's Mountain was declared a National Park. . . It was a huge honor for me, and for Adventure Bay. They both became tourist destinations, like, overnight." The smile faded slowly, and it was easy to hear the anger in his voice when he spoke again. "Three months ago, a hotel developer approached me with a deal. He wanted to buy my lodge and make it bigger. . . Make it like a ski resort, you know."

The ginger pup raised an eyebrow. "How can he buy the lodge, if the lodge is part of land that was made a national park?"

Jake shook his head, making a piece of his light brown hair sway, then fall in front of his face. "The land that the lodge and this cabin are on," he pushed the piece of hair back up with his hand, "aren't part of the park, they're two separate things." When the dingo flashed a confused look, Jake chuckled. "There's a whole bunch of legal mumbo jumbo. But in a nutshell, the park can't be sold in any way. But when the mountain became a national park, the government let me keep several acres of land for myself to build the ski lodge and the cabin. . . It's my land and I can do whatever I want to do with it." He flashed a smile, "within legal reason, of course."

The dingo nodded solemnly, "of course."

Jake's eyes fell on the stone fireplace, and they narrowed in on the fire. The two pups fell silent, and gave the human some time to figure out what to say. After a few long moments, Jake sighed. "It started about three months, while you and Everest were with Ryder." He looked from the dingo to the wolf, "and before you came along. I got a visit from a real estate developer. He told me my land was worth millions, and that he had a buyer who would pay ten percent over what the land is worth." He shook his head. "At the time, I told him I would think about it."

"But you already knew you would never sell. . . This place is your legacy, part of your history, part of you." Dundee said.

"Right, I know I'll never sell . . . Never . . . The next time he called, I told him that, and he walked away." He sighed again, "then a week later I got a call from him. . . He came up on the offer, but I still said no." He stood up and walked to the window again. "I've been getting a call every couple of days since. Every time, he offers more money. And every time, I refuse."

Drake saw where this was going. "But they keep calling."

Jake looked at the wolf, and then cast his eyes back into the fire. "Now I just want him to go away. . . But he won't."

The wolf looked from the dingo to the human and back. "Can the police do anything?"

Jake shook his head making the same lock of hair fall in his face again. He blew out a breath making it fly up a little. "I asked a friend and he said that the police couldn't do anything without proof."

Dundee narrowed his eyes. "Do you think Rocky might have something you could use to record the next phone call?"

The human continued to look out the window and gave a small smile. "He probably does . . . somewhere."

The ginger pup smiled as well. "Alright, we'll call Rocky in the morning and-"

"I don't want them involved," Jake interrupted. "In fact, this conversation never happened."

The pups exchanged glances. "Okay. . ." Dundee finally said.

Jake turned around abruptly and started walking down the hallway. "Goodnight, guys."

The two pups started to wish him goodnight as well, but Jake had already gone down the hallway and closed the door to the bedroom.

"What'd I say?" Dundee asked as he turned to Drake.

The wolf's eyes were filled with concern. "I don't think it was you. . . I think there's more to this than Jake's letting on."


	3. Lovers and Takers

**Not much to say here except enjoy the chapter!**

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Skye walked out the sliding doors of the Lookout, and looked around. Her light brown eyes searched their front yard for a specific pup. Rocky and Zuma were heading to the mix-breeds pups house, or rather, Zuma was leading his mate by the paw with love in their eyes. She let out a small giggle knowing what they would be doing for the next few minutes or so. Then her eyes locked with her mates amber ones and she smiled, and then laughed as Marshall accidentally pulled the bulldog over with the tug toy they were playing with.

"Skye" The cockapoo looked toward the direction her name was called and smiled as Everest approached.

"Just got a call from Ryder," Skye said. "He, Chase, and Dundee should be back in a second." Just as Everest nodded, Ryder's ATV could be seen pulling up the driveway followed by Chase's police truck and Dundee's jeep.

The husky ran over to him as the vehicle came to a stop. "Hey Dundee," Everest moved close and nuzzled her mate. "I take it the rescue went good?" But before he got the chance to answer, she pressed her lips against his.

After a few moments, she pulled away and walked toward a nearby tree. He followed as he spoke. "I'm just glad we found them before it got dark. . . I hate to think of anyone being trapped in forest alone all night." He lay down next to Everest. She leaned onto him, letting her head rest in the crook of his neck. He smiled, "but you already knew that."

She giggled, making him chuckle as well. He kissed the top of her head, "Did I ever tell you how much I love you?"

The husky cast her blue eyes up into his forest green ones. "Did I ever tell you how corny you are?"

"Just about every day," Dundee smiled. He leaned down to kiss her again, when something caught his ears. He focused his eyes green toward the forest and closed his eyes to focus on his hearing.

Everest felt her ears perk up as well. "Dundee, what is it?" She felt her heart race.

After a moment his pointed ears stood at attention, and his eyes shot open. "It's a call for help, come on!"

As they stood up, Dundee broke into a run with Everest behind him. The ginger pup followed the call into the forest for a few more moments, until ran came into a small clearing with an old beat up truck at one end. Before he could react, he felt three hands press hard on his back and pin him to the ground and a small pinch in his neck. He heard Everest run into the clearing behind him and gasp. "Ev, run!" before he could say more, a muzzle was placed over his nose and mouth. After a couple of short moments, his eyes slipped closed.

The husky ran into the clearing just in time to watch her mates form slowly go limp. She was snapped out of her trance by the sound of a man running towards her. Following her natural instinct, she turned and ran as fast as she could. A second later she felt a pinch of pain in her side, but she kept running.

Suddenly she started to feel tired. 'Keep going!' She told herself, 'you have to make it back to the Lookout for Dundee! You have to!' Her vision started to become blurry, and her limbs became heavy. But, she kept going. Finally, with her last bit of strength, she stumbled into a familiar clearing. Falling on her side, the husky was able to make a small, weak yelp for help.

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Chase, Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble were playing tag in front of the Lookout. Rocky suddenly stopped causing Rubble, who was running behind him, to knock him over.

"Rubble-"

"I'm sorry Rocky, are you okay?" The bulldog asked as he got to his feet.

The mix breed gave a small smile, "I'm fine," the smile faded quickly. "Did you hear that?"

Before the bulldog could answer, Chase nodded and looked around. "It sounded like a pup yelp."

"That's what I thought." Rocky said as he looked around.

Suddenly, Zuma shouted. "Look," the chocolate lab started running in a definite direction. The others glanced at each other, and then followed. As they got closer, a familiar form came into view making them run faster.

"Everest!" the shepherd yelled as he stopped next to her. He put an ear to her chest as the others came to a stop.

"Is she ok?" Rocky asked.

"She's breathing. . . And her heartbeat sounds okay. . ."

"Look," Rubble pointed to something in the husky's side. "What is that?"

The mix-breed moved closer and examined it. "It's a tranquilizer dart."

The others stared at the mix-breed for a moment. Then Chase finally spoke. "Will she be okay?"

Rocky shook his head, "I don't know for sure, I'm not the medical pup." He turned on his tag. When the Dalmatians face appeared on the screen, he spoke. "Marshall, Everest is hurt."

Marshall's blue eyes filled with concern. "Where are you?"

"Outside the Lookout," Rocky said, "near the edge of the forest"

The Dalmatian nodded. "Be there in a second."

Once the mix-breed finished the call, he turned to the others, "Marshalls on the way."

There were a few moments of silence, and then Chase suddenly looked around and noticed something . . . Or someone . . . was missing. "Where's Dundee?"

The others looked around as well. "They were together under that tree a few minutes ago." Rocky said as Marshall ran towards them with Ryder and Skye behind him. Once the trio got close enough, the mix-breed spoke again."Have any of you seen Dundee?"

The three of them shook their heads. "Not since the last mission." Ryder said as the Dalmatian walked over to the unconscious husky, and checked her over just as Chase had done.

"Rubble noticed a tranquilizer dart in her side." Rocky said motioning to it with a paw.

Just like the mix-breed did before, Marshall studied the dart. After about a minute, he looked up at the others. "I think she'll be okay. Basically the dart put her in a very, very deep sleep. . . But we still need to get her to Katie to make sure."

The human nodded. "Marshall-"

"I'll go get my truck." He smiled as he ran off.

"Ryder sir," Chase spoke up. "Dundee is missing."

The human placed a hand on top of the shepherds head and gave it a pat. "Let's see if I can find his pup tag." He took out his Paw Pad and hit a few buttons. After a moment, he frowned. "I can't get a location."

"So he's really missing," Rocky said, worry evident in his voice.

"We'll find him Rocky," Ryder smiled and turned to the. "Okay pups, here's the plan. Rubble. . ." The bulldog barked. "When Marshall gets back with is truck, I want you to go with him to Katie's clinic. . . Keep us updated of on how Everest is doing. "

He nodded, "got it Ryder."

Next, the leader turned to the others. "Skye I want you to use your helicopter-" He was interrupted by the familiar sound of his Paw Pad ringing. After hitting a few buttons, the leader spoke "Ryder here."

"Ryder. . . It's Jake."

"Jake listen, Everest-" The teen was interrupted.

"I know she's safe with you. . ." Jake spoke in almost a monotone voice.

The teen narrowed his eyes. "Jake, are you okay?" He asked, even though Jake didn't sound okay.

"Ryder," Jake paused and cleared his throat. "Dundee's been pup-napped."

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 **Duh Duh DUH!**

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	4. Admissions and Anger

**Well, not much to say except enjoy the chapter!**

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Jake sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through the husky's soft snow white fur. "Everest, I'm sorry this happened . . . I never should've let it go this far." He gave a small sigh. "Well, at least Katie says you'll be waking up soon. . . I just don't know how I'm going to tell you the rest."

As if on cue, the pup let out a soft moan and blinked open her sky blue eyes. "What happened?"

"Hey Everest, welcome back from sleepy town," Jake smiled.

She looked up at him, and narrowed her eyes. "That was not ordinary sleep. . ." The husky groaned. Everest looked around. "Where am I?"

"Katie's clinic. . . Marshall and Rubble brought you here after you were hit with a tranquilized dart." He said.

She closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to remember. "I was running through the forest. . ." She began. "I was feeling tired, but I knew I had to get back to the Lookout because" . . . Everest stopped and her ice blue eyes flew open wide. "Dundee! Is he okay?" Jake didn't respond right away she stood on the bed and spoke again. "Is Dundee okay?"

"He was pup-napped," Jake said simply. She stared at him in disbelief for a few moments, but he couldn't look her in the eye. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" she asked.

He sighed, "Because I was stupid." He stood up, "I'm going to get Ryder and the others." He took a deep breath. "I need everyone to hear this."

She hopped of the bed, and ran after him. "I'll just come with you." He stopped at the door and raised a curious eyebrow. She gave a small smile. "Trust me, I'm fine."

Jake shook his head. "Okay, come on." They quickly walked down the hallway without a word until they reached the waiting room.

"Everest!" Skye said running towards her. "Are you okay?"

The husky gave her a quick friendly nuzzle. "I'm fine Skye. . . But I'm worried about Dundee."

Marshall nodded, "us too." He turned to the man. "Jake said he would explain when you woke up."

Jake walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. "I am. . ." He took a deep sigh, "I should have told you about this sooner. . . Maybe then it wouldn't have gone this far." He paused for a few moments, and then looked back up at them. "Like I told Dundee, about a month ago a real estate developer came to me and wanted to buy my lodge. He said my Lodge and the cabin are built on what is now prime real estate. . . And he's right because I checked after he called me the first time." He took a deep breath, and then let it out. "My land is worth tens of millions of dollars"

Several pairs of eyes grew wide. "I knew it was probably worth a lot." Marshall said surprised, "but not that much."

"The first offer he made me was eight figures. . . But I said no . . ." Ryder could see the tension in Jakes face as he continued. "My land will never be for sale in my lifetime, ever . . . It's not just what I do, it's who I am."

Katie glanced from Jake to the pups and caught the mix-breeds confused look. "Rocky, are you okay?"

He shook his head slightly. "Jake that doesn't make any sense. If Jakes Mountain is a national park, how can he buy the land?"

"It's kind of complicated." Jake fixed his grey eyes on the pup's dark brown ones, "but the national park 'Jakes Mountain' is made up of several thousand acers of land.

The land the Lodge is built on is mine to do whatever i want to do. . . A few months ago, i got a call from a middle man. . . His client want's to but my land, and even though I keep saying no, he keeps calling and offering more and more money. . . That much I told to Dundee and Drake."

"But?" Marshall raised an eyebrow knowing there was more.

Jakes eyes started to become moist. "I didn't tell them that the last offer was more like threat."

The husky's eyes grew wide, "threats . . . Against you?"

He shook his head. "No . . ." Jake swallowed hard, "They said that if I didn't sell soon, I better keep an eye on my pups to keep them safe."

Everest just stared at him for a few seconds. Then she finally spoke with anger in her voice. "You knew we were being threatened, and you didn't tell us!" The normally cool pup was losing her temper. She started to walk away.

"Everest please," Jake said. She stopped to listen, but didn't turn around. "The threatening phone call didn't even come until yesterday. . . I didn't think anything would happen, you're usually safe with me at the cabin, or safe with Ryder and the pups at the Lookout!"

She turned her head around, and looked him in the eye. "Well, something did happen. . ." She walked toward him and let out a low growl. "Because of you keeping secrets, my mate has been kidnapped and I may never see him again!" She turned and ran out the door.

"Everest!" Marshall said running out the door after her.

Ryder fixed his brown eyes on Chase. "Could you follow them please?"

The shepherd nodded. "You got it, Ryder." He said as he went out the door as well.

Chase looked around for a moment, but didn't see the Dalmatian or the husky. So he put his nose to the ground and took a few whiffs. It didn't take long for him to catch the very familiar scent of his mate. He inhaled deeply, and smiled. He always loved Marshall's scent.

The Shepherd shook himself for a moment, and then put his nose to the sidewalk again. He followed the scent along Adventure Bays Main Street until he reached the beach. He cast his eyes on the sand and water until he saw a familiar figure, Marshall, approach another figure, Everest. They were best friends, so he decided their conversation was none of his business. He kept watch where they couldn't see him, but stayed far enough away so he couldn't hear them.

Marshall noticed the even though the husky's face was in shadow, he could see the tears running off her muzzle into the sand. Everest was one of the strongest pups he knew, so the sight of her in so much emotional pain made his heart drop. As he moved closer, she looked up.

"Oh, Marshall." She sobbed and buried her face in the Dalmatians chest.

He wrapped an arm tightly around her and placed his head gently on her own. "Shhh. . . It's okay." He whispered and rubbed her back. "Just let it all out." She continue to sob into his chest letting all her worry over Dundee, and all of her frustration and anger at Jake come to the surface.

After a few minutes, Everest began to calm down enough to talk. "I'm sorry," she sniffed, "I just couldn't be in the same building with Jake." Her voice held a tone of anger. "How could he keep that kind of a secret from me?"

"Well. . ." Marshall spoke softly. "Sometimes the people we love keep secrets from us, because they think their protecting us." After a few moments, the Dalmatian spoke softly again. "Rissy," she smiled. He used the nickname he gave her when they became friends. The Dalmatian didn't use it very often, and he knew that was strictly for their ears only. "You're part of his family and he loves you. He desperately wants to protect you and doesn't want to see you hurt in any way. . . And," he added, 'He also knows what hurts him, hurts you." She still looked skeptical, so he tried a different angle. "He knows he messed up really bad, and he doesn't need you reminding him of it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours," he said quickly. "Just cut him some slack, okay?"

The husky was still worried, but she felt a little better. "Okay."

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 **Please Review. . . Pretty please? . . . With sugar on top?**


	5. Comfort and Criminals

**Okay, so has anyone had a story that wouldn't leave them alone no matter how hard they tried? Well apparently this one is mine. . .**

 **Enjoy!**

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To anyone staying at Jake's Lodge it was an ordinary day, except for the fact that Sandy, Jake and Drake seemed to be a little distracted by something. And, where was Everest? For that matter, where was Dundee? If a guest asked, they all gave the same answer. Everest was sick and Dundee was in Adventure Bay with the rest of the Paw Patrol taking care of her.

But it was a lie.

The husky was at the cabin with Marshall. The Dalmatian was giving her all the support he could, but he knew it wasn't nearly enough. It had been almost a day since last saw her mate. For two pups that were never apart for more than a few hours at the most, it was taking a toll on her. She wasn't eating or sleeping, and she was starting to snap at the Dalmatian.

"Rissy, you need to either eat something or get some sleep. . ." Marshall tried to say as calmly as he possibly could. "Those are your options." She glared at him, and he glared back. "Don't give me that look." He said, his voice becoming sterner. "You've been worrying and crying and pacing the floor for hours."

"What am I _supposed_ to do?" she yelled. "My mate's been kidnapped and no one's called about a ransom or let us talk to him or anything!"

He walked closer and spoke to her in the calmest voice he could use. "Everest. . . Calm. . . Down."

Fire burned in her eyes. "Don't tell me to calm down! How would you feel if Chase was kidnapped and you had no idea where he was!" When he didn't answer right away, she walked closer to where she was almost nose to nose with the Dalmatian "Well!"

Marshall took a deep breath to calm himself down so he wouldn't yell at her, then let it out. "About a year and a half ago, before you came along, Chase went on a rescue in the forest with Ryder and Rubble. Ryder and Rubble stayed together, but Chase went out on his own and ended breaking his pup-tag and up getting lost." Tears sprang to his eyes at the memory. "For five days, we search for him with no luck. . . For a while, I never thought I would see him again." Even though he felt a tear run down his cheek, he never took his blue eyes on hers. "We finally found him almost starved to death, and very, very weak. . . But he was alive and I knew he was okay. . . So, yes I do know how it feels not knowing where your mate is or if he's okay. . . So calm down Rissy, everything is going to be okay."

Tears started to well up in her eyes again, and she turned away from him. "I'm sorry. . ."

Marshall placed his par under her chin and brought her face back to meet his own. Then, he gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "It's okay . . . but you are never alone." As he took his paw away, she tilted her head in confusion. He walked toward the fireplace and looked into the flames for a long moment. "We've all been in some kind of emotional pain, Everest." He focused his eyes on hers. "So if you ever need to talk to someone, just remember you can talk to anyone in the Paw Patrol." Suddenly he looked away from her and cast his back into the fireplace. "We all have things in our past we'd like to forget."

After a long moment of silence, the husky spoke. "How do you deal with it?"

Marshall smiled, "well, some bottle it up inside." He said as he walked to the sofa. "But we've all told our deepest pain to at least one person in the Paw Patrol. I know Chase and I shared our pain with each other. . . Maybe when Dundee gets back you need to share your pain with him." He hopped on the sofa and lay down on his stomach with his head up. "Come on up. . ." He gave her a small smile. "Like I said earlier, you need to rest."

Once she snuggled in close to him, she sighed and closed her eyes. And after a moment, he began to sing. . .

 ** _I have a dream, a song to sing._**

 ** _To help me cope with anything._**

 ** _If you see the wonder,_**

 ** _Of a fairy tale,_**

 ** _You can take the future._**

 ** _Even if you fail._**

As he sang, she sighed again. From the beginning, being next to Marshall and feeling his warmth, always made her feel comfortable.

 ** _I believe in angels,_**

 ** _Something good in everything I see._**

 ** _I believe in angels,_**

 ** _When I know the time is right for me._**

 ** _I'll cross the stream._**

 ** _I have a dream._**

As he sang, he started to hear soft snores coming from her nose. Knowing this was her best chance to get her to sleep, he continued to sing. . .

 ** _I have a dream, a fantasy._**

 ** _To help me through, reality._**

 ** _And my destination makes it worth the while._**

 ** _Pushing through the darkness,_**

 ** _Still another mile._**

Marshall smiled as the husky finally fell asleep as he sang the chorus again. . .

 ** _I believe in angels,_**

 ** _Something good in everything I see._**

 ** _I believe in angels._**

 ** _When I know the time is right for me._**

 ** _I'll cross the stream._**

 ** _I have a dream._**

As he finished singing, he kissed her on the top of her head. "Goodnight Rissy."

* * *

Drake cast his silver-grey eyes down the small hallway at Jake's Lodge. He noticed the light was on in Jake's office. But instead of walking toward it, something he heard stopped him. He froze as he heard an unfamiliar voice mention a familiar name.

"Is Dundee okay?" Jake was asking.

"He hasn't been harmed yet." The next voice spoke with a raspy tone. "And he won't, as long as my client gets what he wants."

"Who is your client anyway?"

"He prefers to remain anonymous."

There were a couple seconds of silence, and then Jake sighed. "Okay, I need to get some paperwork straightened out first. Then we'll talk. . . But I want to speak to Dundee first. Or, I won't do anything."

The wolf silently praised Jake for not backing down. A moment later he could hear the sound of a number being dialed into a cell phone. "Yea, it's me. . . Put the mutt on the phone. . ." He pressed another button on the phone, Drake guessed putting it on speaker, and Dundee's voice came into the room.

"Jake, is that you?"

"Dundee!" Jake said letting out a breath of relief. "Are you doing okay?"

The dingo ignored the question. "Are these the guys that want to buy your land?"

"He's smart, I'll give him that." The raspy voice said.

"They are. . ." Before Jake could say anything else, Dundee interrupted him.

"Don't sell for anything! Jakes Mountain is your legacy! My life isn't worth you giving up the dream you and your grandfather built together!" There was the sound of a slap, and dingo yelped as the phone call ended.

"That's enough of that." The raspy voice spoke again. "I'll be back in three hours with a contract for you to sign."

Determination grew in Jakes voice. "I won't sign it. . . Not when Dundee doesn't want me to."

The raspy voice on the other hand grew angrier. But instead of threating Dundee, he said something different. "I won't make you sign." Drake could hear footsteps coming closer to the door, and then stop just short of the door way. "You might want to keep an eye on your other pups. . . You never know what could happen."

* * *

As Everest gently opened her eyes and tried to move.

But, she couldn't.

Marshall had draped a protective paw over her midsection while they were sleeping. "Marshall. . ." She spoke softly and he twitched, but didn't move. "Marshall" she said with a more stern voice.

This time he opened his own blue eyes, and smiled. "Hey Rissy, what's up?"

"Could you move your paw off me please? I need a drink of water."

She cast her eyes on his paw, and he blushed, "he, sorry."

The Dalmatian moved and let her jump down from the sofa, and watched her walk into the kitchen. As he started to lie back down, he heard a car pull up to the cabin. Suddenly, he heard something get slammed into the front door. Before he could jump down Everest appeared in the doorway.

"What was that!" she said running for the door.

Marshall shook his head, "I don't know."

She pulled the handle on the door and, as it swung toward them, a familiar figure slumped into the room.

"Drake!" they said at the same time.

* * *

 **Well, what do you think?**

 **Please, Please, PLEASE review!**


	6. Emergencies and Worries

**Not much to say. . .**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

For a moment, the two pups were frozen in shock at the shape there newest friend was in.

But Marshall shook his head slightly to bring himself back into focus. He placed a paw on the wolf's neck and closed his eyes. After a moment, his blue eyes flew open and focused on Everest. "He's got a pulse, but it's weak. . . He's bleeding from everywhere though, and we need to stop it until we can get him the hospital. My ambulance is parked outside; can you go drive it closer to the door?"

She nodded and ran out the door as Marshall activated his communicator. "Ryder, are you there?"

A second later, his leader's familiar face appeared on the screen. "Marshall, what's wrong?" He said noticing the Dalmatian's urgency.

"Drake's been attacked by something and bleeding a lot. His pulse is weak and he's breathing is irregular." The Dalmatian took a breath, and then continued. "Everest and I are going to load him into my ambulance and come down to the hospital." Before the human could speak again, Marshall's ambulance pulled up outside the door "gotta go Ryder." When the husky came back in the door, he said. "Can you stay with him for a minute and monitor his heartbeat and breathing while I get the gurney." After she nodded, he ran out the door

About a minute later, Marshall pushed the pup sized gurney to the door and walked past it inside. "How's he doing?" The Dalmatian pressed a paw to Drakes neck and was relieved to find that his pulse hadn't gotten worse. The problem was it hadn't gotten any better either. He quickly put his ear to the wolf's chest. "His breathing is slow and shallow." He turned to the husky. "We need to get going, now Everest."

She nodded, "what do you want me to do?"

The next few minutes were full of instruction for the husky as they put the wolf on the gurney, and then into the ambulance. Finally Marshall fixed his blue eyes on hers. "You have to drive, because now, I have to monitor Drakes heartbeat and breathing." He spoke with a matter-of-fact tone. "Are you okay with that?" A while back, Ryder had insisted that all the pups learn how to drive each other's vehicles in case of an emergency.

Now they were going to be putting that training to the test.

Everest nodded, "as ready as I'm going to be."

"Good," he said as he climbed into the back with Drake. "Let's go." The Dalmatian shut the door, and then turned around to face the monitors that were now connected to the wolf. His heartbeat was low and weak, but it was steady. As the vehicle started to move, he put an oxygen mask over Drakes muzzle to help the pup breath.

Once he could see that Drake was stable, and would likely be okay for the rest of the trip, he focused on something wrapping the bigger cuts tightly with gauze in an effort to stop the bleeding. That finished, He sat on his hind legs and gently placed his front paws on the wolf's front right left paw, and started to massage the appendage that had worried him earlier.

What he felt made his stomach churn.

Underneath the wolf's think fur and skin, were bone fragments that felt like splinters of broken wood. "That doesn't feel good." He said as he reached over and grabbed another roll of bandages. "I doubt this will do anything," Marshall sighed as he started to wrap the limb, "but it's better than nothing."

Once that was finished, the Dalmatian closed his eyes and sent a silent 'thank you' to whatever force made him decide to drive his ambulance to Everest's cabin. Had he decided to take his firetruck, Drake wouldn't have much of a chance. As he opened them again, something else caught his attention. The wolf's torso seemed to be expanding slightly, so he narrowed his blue eyes and felt around. After a moment, his eyes flew open in alarm. "Everest, how close are we?" He asked in almost a yell.

She thought for a moment. "About ten minutes, why?"

He didn't answer; instead he grabbed a trashcan and set it next to the wolf's torso. Then, as he grabbed a scalpel, Marshall took a deep breath and made a small incision making sure to go all the way into Drakes body cavity. As he expected, a sickening stream of blood and other fluids poured out into the trashcan.

"Marshall," the husky said in surprise, "what are you doing?"

He focused his blue eyes on her. "I think his one of his kidneys is busted and one of his ribs poked a hole in his stomach, step on it!"

* * *

The man was tapping a pencil on his chin and pondering the crossword puzzle in front of him when he heard the door to the cabin open. He cast his cold grey eyes up to see two of his men. As they walked towards him, one of them threw a bloody baseball bat towards the cage in the corner of room, waking up the sleeping dingo inside.

"Did you take care of the wolf?" The man asked, looking back down at the puzzle.

One of the other men nodded, "just like you said boss."

The man at the table gave a small nod as well, "good."

The dingo let out a growl that could be heard through the thick black muzzle that covered his mouth. The man at the table looked at the ginger pup. "Shut up mutt. . . You know what happened last time." He motioned at a tool in the corner, making the dingo quiet. "That's what I thought."

"Now what boss?" one of the men asked.

The man at the table looked back at his crossword puzzle. "We wait for instructions."

* * *

Jake gently ran his fingers over the charcoal grey leather collar and the metal pup tag and sighed. The tag had a dark green pine tree on the front, and on the back were several words engraved on the back, one of them being a new but familiar name. I look almost the same as when he had first wrapped around Drakes neck and secured it for the first time.

The only difference was now the collar and tag were both splattered in blood.

Marshall had taken the collar and tag off when he and Everest had gotten the wolf into the Dalmatians ambulance. When Jake had arrived at the hospital after Drake had gone into surgery, Marshall had given it to the human.

He was stirred from his thoughts when the sliding doors to the waiting room slid open, and Ryder with the rest of the pups came through the door. "Hey Ryder," he spoke in a monotone voice.

"Any word on Drake?" he asked. When Jake shook his head, he fell silent. As the teen tried to find something to say, he heard Katie and Chase talk to Marshall.

"Marshall," Chase was saying, "are you okay?" Ryder watched for a few moments and Katie snapped her fingers in front of the Dalmatians blue eyes with no luck. Then then the shepherd narrowed his eyes and gave a small smile. After a moment, he gave his mate a small peck on the cheek.

The Dalmatian shook his head slightly and looked at the shepherd. "Chase. . . Sorry I was thinking about Drake."

Chases amber eyes held concern. "Will Drake be okay?"

His mate shook his head. "I don't know."

The room fell silent again until Katie walk towards them even though none of them had seen her walk away. Ryder gave a small shake of his head, "Where did you go?" he asked.

"Just to the desk," she said pointing to nurse at the nearby station.

"Why" the husky spoke for the first time.

The teen focused he blue eyes on the husky's own. "I asked if there was a place I could give you and Marshall a bath."

Marshall and Everest exchanged looks at each other and involuntarily shuttered at the same time. They were both had Drakes blood all over their fur. Katie gave a small smile, "that's what I thought."

"What about Drake?" Everest asked.

The Dalmatian gave her a small smile. "From what I saw, he'll be in surgery for a while. . ." He walked closer to her and spoke softly. "I don't think he would mind if we got cleaned up."

After a moment, she smiled. "Your right," she turned to Katie. "Lead the way."

Before they left, Marshall turned to Ryder. "Let us know if anything changes."

The teen gave a small smile and teen nodded, "I will." As he watch the three of them walk away, it occurred to him that Marshall probably knew more about the wolf's condition than anyone. He also couldn't help but wonder if the Dalmatian wasn't telling them how bad off Drake really was.

* * *

 **Well, there it is. . .**

 **Please Review!**


	7. Plans and Problems

**I apologize for waiting so long to update. . . Well any of my stories. I've had some industrial strength writers block lately. But I think I am past that for the moment at least. So i'm updating this one and will hopefully update _Sins of Love_ within the next couple of days. . .**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Jake closed his eyes and listened intently to Sandy on the other end of his cell phone as he paced the floor in the waiting room of the hospital. "Calm down San." the man said in the softest voice he could muster at the moment. "How many guests do we have at the moment?" She gave him a number that was about three quarters of the lodge's full occupancy. He looked up at the analog clock on the wall over the nurse's station nearby, and gave a small sigh. "Most of the guests will be going to bed soon, so it will slow down a little." When she wasn't calming down, he took a deep breath, and then calmly spoke again. "Ryder's here, I'll have him send a couple of pups to help you, okay?" After a moment, having calmed down his girlfriend, he gave a small smile. "I'll let you know something as soon as hear about Drake, okay?" He stopped pacing, "I love you too, San, bye." As he ended the call, he and locked his grey-brown eyes with the teens amber ones. "I hope that's okay," he said, "Sandy's kinda freaking out being alone up there."

Ryder nodded. "Of course. . . And with everything that's been going lately, she shouldn't be alone." He turned to one of his most level headed of his pups. "Zuma," the chocolate lab gave a small yip and focused his sea green eyes on his leader. "I need you and Rubble to go to Jake's Lodge and help Sandy with whatever she needs. . . Are you okay with that?"

"Let's dive in." Zuma said with a smile.

The bulldog smiled as well, "Rubble on the double."

Ryder smiled, "good. I know Sandy will appreciate the help. . . Zuma why don't you ride with Rubble? I'm not sure how your hovercraft will do on the rough mountain roads."

Jake placed a hand on the pup's heads and gave them each a small rub. "Thanks, guys. Sandy and I really appreciate it." The two pups looked at him and smiled.

Before they got to the door, Ryder spoke. "Call in when you get there, and be careful."

Zuma nodded. "Will do Ryder . . . would keep us in the loop on how Drake is doing?"

Ryder smiled. "I will. . . Be safe pups."

Just as the main door of the waiting room closed behind Zuma and Rubble, Chase looked up to his leader and cocked his head slightly. "Ryder sir, I know you have a good reason, but I'm just curious. . . Why did you send Zuma and Rubble?"

Ryder barely hid a smile. "Chase, are you questioning my judgement?"

The shepherd's amber eyes grew wide. "No Ryder sir!" The pup shook his head vigorously. "I would never do that!"

The teen broke out into a smile as he reached down and stroked the fur behind the pup's neck. "It's okay Chase. I know you would never do that." He crouched down to look the pup in eye. "I sent Zuma because I haven't seen anything faze him, and he's always cool, calm and collected which is something Sandy needs that right now. . . I sent Rubble for a couple of reasons. I knew his rig could move over the rough road the easiest, and he's the gentlest pup I know."

Chase looked a little hurt, "but what about me?"

Ryders smile widened. "Chase, I didn't send you because you weren't right for the job. I didn't send you because you're needed here." When the pup still looked lost, the teen explained. "This whole thing has been hard on Everest, and Marshall is trying to be strong for her. . . Chase, Marshall needs you to stay here so you can be strong for him."

Chase nodded and smiled, "you got it Ryder."

"You're such a good pup." Ryder whispered to the shepherd. Then he straightened up just as Katie walked in the room from a side hallway with Marshall and Everest behind her.

The teen focused her bright blue eyes on Ryder. "Have you heard anything about Drake?"

Ryder was about to shake his head when the 'authorized personnel only' door opened and a doctor in aqua blue scrubs walked in. He walked over to them since they were the only ones in the room. "Ryder?" the doctor said in surprise.

After a moment, Ryder and Jake recognized the doctor as the same one who worked on Dundee almost a year ago. "How are you Doc?" the teen said.

The doctor gave a small smile, "I'm doing good. . ." He tuned to Jake, "How are you Jake?"

He gave a wry smile. "I've been better." The smile faded. "Is Drake okay?"

The doctor small smile faded away quickly as well. "We've drained the fluid from his body cavity and we were able to repair his punctured lung. Drake also had a two inch long tear in his windpipe that we've repaired. . . He's stable enough to begin the first of three more surgeries we're going to have to perform."

Several sets eyes grew wide. "Three?" Jake asked swallowing hard.

"The first one is to reattach his stomach which was jarred loose. . . The second will be to reset his ribs." The doctor stopped for a breath, and then continued. "We also need to perform a kidney transplant because one of them is ruptured."

"Probably when he was thrown against the cabin door," Marshall said with a low growl.

The doctor looked down at the pup and nodded. "Maybe . . ." He paused for a moment to think, and then continued. "The other one is beyond repair."

Marshall spoke again, "Do you want to see if one of us is a match?"

The man nodded, "yes. But, I need to narrow it by blood type first. . . Drakes type is B+," he turned to Ryder, "Do any of your pups have B+, AB+, or O- blood."

Ryder looked up at the ceiling as he thought. "Chase. . . Rocky. . . and. . ."

"Everest," Jake added looking at the husky.

"Okay," the doctor nodded and looked at the three pups. "Come with me and we'll see if any of you are a match."

* * *

The doctor stared at the results of the tests he had gotten almost thirty minutes ago, and hoped by some miracle they would change in front of him. Or realize he wasn't seeing the test results right. But the more he looked at them, the farther his heart sank.

Neither Chase, nor Everest, or Rocky were a match for Drake, and it broke his heart.

Finally realizing the test results weren't going to change; he stood and slowly walked out of the lab. He walked down the hallway to the nearby doctor's lounge, poured himself a cup of strong coffee, and sat down at one of the old tables.

It was one of the worst parts about his job. How was he going to tell Ryder and the others that, without a kidney, Drake only had hours to live? The doctor tried to come up with several different ways to break the news, but none of them seemed right. Then again, what he had to tell them wasn't fair. It wasn't there fault none of them were a match and their friend would die because of it.

He glanced up at the clock and sighed, it was three-o-clock in the morning and he hadn't been outside the hospital in almost eight hours. "Maybe I need some fresh air. . ." He said to himself.

A few minutes later, the doctor found himself sitting on a bench outside the hospital staring into the night. The sky was deep black with the exception of the bright full moon shining almost as bright as the morning sun. As he let his eyes aimlessly roam, he thought of Ryder and the pups again. They wouldn't blame him, he knew that. He was afraid they would blame themselves for not protecting Drake better. He knew the best thing to do was to try make them see that it was the fault of the person who hurt the wolf.

"Doctor," a feminine voice said, "Are you okay?"

The man turned to see an unfamiliar pup had sat down next to him on the bench. She was an all-black Doberman with dark brown eyes that had gold flecks that shined bright in the moon light. She was one of the most beautiful pups he had ever seen. "What's your name?" It wasn't the most intelligent question he had ever asked, but it made sense.

"My name is Isis." The pups said simply. "I was lying under this bench when you sat down." She moved closer to him. "Are you okay?"

After a moment, he shook his head and proceeded to explain his problem. "I have a pup patient inside whom needs a kidney transplant. . . He has a lot of friends who wanted to donate, but only three had the right blood type. . . And none of them are a match." The doctor sniffed. "Drake, that's the pup's name, needs the kidney in the next few hours or. . ." He couldn't bring himself to finish.

She nodded solemnly. "Wow, that's hard. . . What blood type is Drake?" When he told her, she smiled. "That's my blood type. . . Test me to see if I might be a match." He was about to say something, but she stopped him by speaking again. "I know that my owner would have to sign a release form, but I don't have an owner. So it's my decision."

At that moment, he could have asked a million questions. But, that would have taken time he didn't have. "Alright," he nodded, "come inside and we'll see if you're a match."

* * *

 **Okay, What do you think?**

 **Please Review!**


	8. Plans and Problems (Part 2)

**Okay, i'm slowly getting thorough my writers block thanks to a Ninja Turtle story that I adopted called 'Fake Smiles Real Tears' You should go check it out if you get the chance.**

 **The other thing i wanted to point out it tat a few of you seem to have a problem with me naming one of my own characters Isis. For the record, I name her after the Egyptian Goddess of magic and healing. Not the terrorist group. And i will not let some group of wackos ruin a perfectly good name.**

 **Anyway, Enjoy!**

* * *

Ryder's amber-brown eyes watched Jake walk the few feet from the nurse's station to the row of chairs where he was sitting for what felt like the hundredth time. "I don't think the doctor would appreciate the hole you're wearing in his floor."

Casting his grey-brown eyes on the teen, Jake flashed a small smile. "I guess not." It faded quickly as he walked over and sat down next to Ryder. He gave an exasperated sigh. "Even though the doctor said he found a pup who was a perfect match, I'm still worried." Jake didn't say anything for a few moments, and then spoke again. "Did anyone else get the feeling the doctor wasn't telling us everything about Drake's condition?"

As everyone looked at each other for a conformation, Everest noticed that Marshall had his blue eyes fixed on the floor. "Marshall, what is it?" she asked.

Ryder fixed his eyes on the pup and he knew the particular look the Dalmatian had on his face well. "You know, don't you?" When the pup remained silent, Ryder spoke in a more stern voice. "You know what the Doctor isn't telling us?" He said it more as a statement than a question.

The pup continued to look down, but he finally spoke. "When Drake slumped into the cabin, I noticed his front left leg was lying at a funny angle. But, at the time, I was worried about him being. . ." The Dalmatian took a deep breath. As he exhaled, Everest noticed the glint of tears on his muzzle. "Alive . . . Once I knew he was alive, but was seriously hurt, I put all my attention into making sure he stayed alive." The pup shook his head slightly to get himself back on topic. "Anyway. . . Once I was sure he was stable in ambulance, I decided to feel around on his leg." He swallowed hard.

After a moment, Everest gave her best friend a soft nuzzle. "It's okay Marshall," she whispered softly, "take your time."

The Dalmatian took another deep, shaky breath. And finally, he brought his blue eyes off the floor and locked them with Jakes. "His leg is shattered. . . Like someone . . . hit it with a baseball bat . . . several times."

No one said anything for a few moments, too stunned by what the Dalmatian had just said. Finally, Jake spoke up, "they said I should keep watch over my other pups. I guess they were right."

At that moment, Everest wanted to walk over and comfort Jake. But somehow, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. As upset as she was about Drake, and as bad as she knew Jake felt, she was still too angry with him to show him sympathy. If he hadn't kept this secret from them for so long, maybe they could have kept the situation from going this far. She wouldn't forgive him until she got Dundee back.

Instead she leaned over and gave Marshall another soft nuzzle. This was one of the things she loved about the Dalmatian. Drake had only been with them for a couple of months or so. But as she had seen before, once you became a member of the PAW Patrol and became his friend, he cared about you deeply.

The husky was brought out of her thoughts when Ryder spoke. "What do you mean 'they'?" the teen asked. "The men who want to buy your mountain?" when Jake nodded, Ryder narrowed his amber-brown eyes. "I guess this means they've contacted you since Dundee was pup-napped?"

Jake nodded again. "The middle man came to my office this morning, and he made a call on his cell phone to the men who were holding Dundee."

Everest's ice blue eyes flare with anger again. But she took a deep breath, and then let it out in an attempt to calm herself down. "Is he okay?"

The man focused his grey-brown eyes on the husky. "They let me talk to him, and he seemed just fine." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, but it didn't work. "He told me not to sell, Everest, even." He swallowed again, "even if it meant we'd never see him again. . ." The man and the husky stared at each for a few long moments, until Jake finally spoke again. "What do you want me to do, Everest?"

She only looked at him and struggled to come up with words to say. "I . . . Don't . . . Know."

There was another long moment of silence.

"Do you want to go for a walk outside and think about it?" Marshall suggested, knowing the husky probably needed a distraction. After a short pause, she nodded and moved towards the door. He looked at Ryder. "I don't know how long we'll be."

The teen nodded, "just check in every half hour or so, okay."

Marshall nodded, and then followed the husky out the door.

After a couple of seconds, Ryder turned to Chase. "I only see one way to solve the problem. . ."

The shepherd tilted his head. "What's that Ryder?"

"Chase, I want you to go back to The Lookout and use the drone on your spy truck to search Jake's Mountain for Dundee."

Chase tilted his head to one side and gave his leader a curious look. "But Ryder sir, how do you know Dundee's being held on the mountain?"

Before the teen could answer, Rocky did for him, "phone reception!"

"Exactly," Ryder nodded.

When the others looked at the two of them with curious looks, Rocky explained. "The phone reception on the top of Jake's mountain isn't the best. . . The only reason we get a good connection from The Lookout is because it's so tall and the signal doesn't have as many things, like trees, to go through."

"So," Chase said catching on, "to get a good signal they would have to be on the mountain somewhere."

Jake nodded, excited to have a lead. "Start about a third of the way up the mountain, that's when you start to get good reception."

The shepherd nodded, "You got it Ryder. . . Chase is on the case!"

"Before you run off," the teen smiled at his eager pup. "Take Rocky with you." He focused his amber eyes on the mix-breed. "Rocky, I need you to stay with Chase and try to help in any way you can."

"What about me Ryder?" Skye spoke up for the first time.

The teen nodded. "Skye I need you to search from the air." He glanced up at the clock over the nurse's station. "The sun should be coming up soon, but use Chase's night vision goggles until then. . . And be careful, all of you. Make sure you always have eyes on each other. "

The three pups nodded solemnly, "of course Ryder." Rocky said, nodding. Then, he turned to the shepherd, "Are you ready?" When the others nodded, Rocky focused his deep brown eyes on Ryder. "Green means go! See you later Ryder."

Just as the pups got to the door, Rocky noticed a worried look develop on the shepherds face. He stopped. "Are you okay, Chase?"

Chase stopped as well, and thought for a moment. Then, he turned around. "Give me one second, okay." The others nodded as he ran back to Ryder.

Ryder was confused. "Is there something wrong Chase?"

"Well, Ryder sir. . . Earlier you said you wanted me to stay because Marshall might need me. . ." The pup hesitated.

Ryder smiled, "I can look out for Marshall. . . The sooner we find Dundee, the sooner this will all be over."

Chase nodded. "You got it Ryder."

* * *

Deciding that Everest needed to get away from the hospital, Marshall walked her over to a small park across the street. The two pups walked the footpath for a few minutes in silence for several minutes. Even though the Dalmatian could see the questions in Everest's ice blue eyes, she would talk to him in her own time, when she was ready.

Finally, she stopped and turned to him. "What do you think I should do?" she asked.

He sighed. "Honestly. . . I don't know." He focused his sky blue eyes on her. "But it doesn't matter." When she cocked her head to one side in confusion, he smiled. "Ryder's got a plan."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"Before we left, I looked in his eyes. He gets a certain look in his eye when he as a plan." Marshall's eyes softened. "Everything will be back to normal soon, okay Rissy?"

She moved closer to him and gave him a soft nuzzle. "Thanks Marshall, you always know what to say."

He smiled wide, "it's a gift." As she laughed and nuzzled him again, his attention was drawn to a car parked at the street a few yards away that he was sure wasn't there a minuet ago. He couldn't see who was inside, even though the front window was rolled down. What caught his attention was glint of the full moon reflecting off something familiar resting in the window.

His blood ran cold.

"Everest, get down!" He shoved her to the grass just as a gunshot rang out.

* * *

 **Please review!**


	9. Problems and Progress

**Sorry about the long wait for the update, i had some industrial strength writers block to get through. But i think i am on a roll with this story again. It was a huge relief to finish 'Sins of love' and now i can get back to this one.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

When Everest opened her ice blue eyes after a couple of moments, she found herself looking into two concerned sky blue ones. "Marshall. . ."

"Everest," he said relief evident in his voice. "Are you okay?"

She took stock of her body and realized she wasn't in any pain. Then she looked down and noticed a patch of red blood on her snow white body. "There's blood. . ."

"It's not yours . . . Are you okay?" he asked.

Puzzled by his response, she looked at the splotch of red again and noticed the blood was dripping onto her body from something else. She looked up to the Dalmatian and realized it was dripping from a wound in his shoulder. "Marshall!"

As he moved off her, he winced. "I know. . ."

"Come on, I'll help you inside." The husky said. As she helped the wounded Dalmatian across the street, she tried not to think about the fact the bullet that was in Marshall's shoulder, was probably meant for her.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Marshall came hobbling through the double doors of the waiting room on three legs. His injured leg was in a sling and his shoulder was covered in several thick layers of gauze. As soon as she noticed him, Everest ran towards him.

"Don't do that to me again." She said. "I was so scared when I heard the gun shot. . . I . . ." She couldn't complete the thought. She just nuzzled him and let a few tears fall into his fur. "I was so worried about you." Everest looked up into his eyes. "I can't believe you took that bullet for me." The husky spoke in disbelief. She nuzzled him again.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "You're my sister Rissy; there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."

Before he could move, she gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." She whispered back.

After a moment, he looked past her and locked his eyes with Ryder's. "Come on," he said softly, "the doctor said Drake just came out of surgery and he'll be coming in soon to let everyone know how the surgeries went."

Everest nodded, and then asked "do you need help?"

Marshall smiled and shook his head. "I think I got it." Everest raised an eyebrow, and then watched as the Dalmatian focused and carefully walked forward with only three legs across the waiting room and eventually stop in front of Ryder.

"The doctor said the bullet hit my shoulder bone and stopped." Marshall said to his leader. "But it shattered the bone, so I can't move my shoulder at all right now . . ."

"How do you feel?" Ryder wanted to know.

The Dalmatian gave a small smile. "I'm okay . . . The doctor who was working on me numbed my shoulder until they can put a pin in it." Marshall sensed the human's next question, and answered it. "They can't do it now because the only surgeon who can do that is cleaning up after working on Drake."

The teen nodded, "thanks Marshall. . ." He bent down to look the Dalmatian eye to eye. After a long moment, he placed his knees on the floor and wrapped his hand carefully around the pup's neck and gently gave him a hug. "You're such a good pup." Ryder was not known for public displays of affection for his pups, besides a pat on the head, so this caught the others off guard.

"Ryder," Marshall asked, "Are you okay?"

The human released his gentle grip on the pup and locked his amber eye with Marshall's blue ones. "I was just worried about you," he said. "We all know this could have turned out a lot worse than just a broken shoulder.

"I know," Marshall said nodding.

They let the words hang between them for a few moments. Finally, Everest walked closer to them. "That's true Ryder, but it didn't." Everest spoke softly, "We're all fine now." Marshall cleared his throat and cast his eyes on his broken shoulder. "Okay. . ." she giggled, "mostly fine."

Ryder shook his head, "that doesn't mean I won't stop worrying about you guys. . . I don't tell you enough, but I love you pups. All of you."

He looked up to see Jake kneel beside him. "He's right," the man said, "you're family."

* * *

Dundee was woken up by the slamming of a door. After a moment, cast his green eyes at one of two men that he shared the one room cabin with. He growled behind the heavy duty muzzle they put on him while he was unconscious. The dingo watched as the man who just came thought the door threw a rifle on the table in the middle of the room.

"Did you get the husky?" the man at the table asked without looking up from the card game he was playing.

The other man shook his head. "No, this Dalmatian got in the way."

"Boss won't be happy with that." The first man said moving a card on the table. "He wants to put more pressure on this Jake guy."

The standing man's eyes flared with anger. "Look, I got one shot off and the stupid Dalmatian took it for her. I would have taken another shot, but-."

"Calm down." The man at the table said standing up and looking the other man in the eyes. "We got this Jake guy's attention and that's what the boss wanted. It's not the way he wanted it, but it's done. And there's nothing we can do to change it now."

As he sat back down at the table the other man spoke. "So, what do we do now?"

"Whatever the boss says," the man at the table said simply as he picked up his cell phone and dialed. A few seconds later the call connected. "Hey boss. . ."

Dundee listened to the one-sided conversation at first, but then let his thoughts drift to Everest and Marshall. He hoped the Dalmatian was okay, the dingo knew that Marshall wouldn't hesitate to give his life for Everest; he also hoped that hadn't, and would never, come to that.

He closed his eyes and immediately saw the ice blue eyes that belonged to the pup he fell in love with. At the moment, he was wondering if he would ever see them in person again.

* * *

"The kidney that Isis gave us was a perfect fit for Drake." The doctor said smiling. "Both pups pulled through that surgery just fine. . . We were also able to reattach his stomach without complications. Once we know everything will heal properly, we can go in and set his ribs." He looked at all the smiling faces in front of him and took a deep breath. He hated giving bad news after such wonderful news, but it couldn't be helped. "There is some bad news."

Marshall locked his knowing eyes on the doctors. "You weren't able to save his leg, were you?"

The doctor shook his head. "No. . . We had to amputate. . . We might have been able to save it, but one of the bone fragments severed a large nerve." He took a deep breath, and then continued. "He would have lost eighty percent of the feeling in that leg anyway."

"And for an active pup like Drake," Marshall spoke solemnly, "It made more sense to lose the limb entirely knowing he would adapt faster not having the limb at all." The doctor was stunned for a moment, and Marshall noticed. "When I was younger, I was in an accident that caused some nerve damage in my hind legs." He gave a small, wry smile. "The reason I'm so clumsy is because I only have about forty percent feeling in each of my hind legs."

After a few moments of silence, Everest finally spoke up. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"We'll. . ." He cast his blue eyes down at the floor. "I didn't tell anyone. . ."

Ryder nodded, "not even me."

Marshall slowly nodded. "Not even you Ryder, because the accident is something I've tried really hard to forget." The Dalmatian let a tear fall from his muzzle.

Ryder knelt down placed his hand underneath the Dalmatians chin and brought the pup's tear filled blue eyes to meet his own. "You know me Marshall; I would never force you to talk about something you want to forget. We all have things in our lives that we had wished had never happened."

The Dalmatian sniffed. "Even you?" he asked.

Ryder nodded, "Even me."

Marshall moved closer and put his good front leg around the human's neck. "Thanks, Ryder."

* * *

 **Tada!**

 **Hopefully the next chapter will be coming faster than this one did.**

 **Please Review!**


	10. Surprises and Ideas

**Hello all! So after another wait that was longer than I intended, here is a Christmas present from me to all of my supporters!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Chase stopped as Skye and Rocky went into the Lookout ahead of him, and looked up at the sky. The sun would peak over the mountain in a couple of hours. That gave them just enough time to come up with a plan. The shepherd followed the others into the elevator and stood next to Skye. "What's the plan?" She asked.

"Are you going to use your spy drone?" Rocky asked. When Chase nodded, a wide spread across the mix breeds face. "I can help with that." He walked to the rear of the elevator and pushed a button on the back wall that the others had never noticed before. Then, instead of going up like it had always done, the elevator went down. A moment later, the back of the elevator opened into a large room filled with half made pup vehicles, pup packs and other gadgets.

The others stared in aww. "What is this place?" Skye asked.

"This," Rocky said walking into the space, "is where Ryder started the Paw Patrol. . ." He walked over to a workbench that was pup height, "and where he asked me to help him expand it." Rocky motioned to the half-finished vehicles with a paw. "Ryder built the first two vehicles on his own, Marshall's Firetruck and your Police Truck." He said to Chase. "When I came along, he and I designed and built the others together."

"Wow. . ." the shepherd said. Then he watched Rocky walk to a crate and nudge open the lid with a paw. "What's in there?"

The mix breed focused his brown eyes on the shepherd and smiled again. "Something that will help us find Dundee." He cast his eyes up, "Arf, arf, claw!" A moment later, a machine turned on, and a claw that was attached to a track in the ceiling moved over the box. "Claw, down. . ." The machine followed the command and descended down into the crate. "Claw, stop!" he spoke again. And then gave another command, "Claw, close . . . claw, stop." The mix breed checked the inside of the box. "Okay, good . . . claw, lift."

As the object came out of the crate, Chase recognized it. "It's another spy drone."

Rocky nodded. "Yep, there are six more in the crate." He smirked, "when Ryder and I got a good design made we decided to make more just in case we needed them. . . I think we need them now more than ever."

* * *

"Are you ready?" Ryder asked Jake. They were standing outside the hospital room where the doctors had brought Drake and Isis after the surgery.

"Isis should be waking up soon." The doctor had said to them in the waiting room. "It will be a few more hours before Drake is awake. . . But you can wait in the room if you want to." He gave them a small smile. He had shown them down the hallway and then stopped. "Here it is. . . You can go in whenever you're ready." He had turned. "I have to go do my rounds. . . I'll check in on you later."

Now Jake stared at the opening, almost afraid to go in. "I guess . . . I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He took a deep breath, and then glanced down at Everest. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and gave a small smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He gave her a small smile of his own. Finally he pushed open the door and walked inside.

The room was silent except for the chorus of beeps coming from the various medical machines that surrounded the two pups. There were three beds in the large room. Isis was in one of the beds jutting into the room from the right, and Drake was in the one at the end of the room facing the door.

Jake couldn't help but cringe at all the machines that surrounded the wolf. He knew some were helping the pup breathe, some were monitoring his heartbeat, and there were others that he wasn't sure about. But he knew they were all doing the same general thing, they were keeping Drake alive.

He slowly walked over the sleeping wolf and then gently placed a hand on Drakes coarse fur. "I'm sorry. . ." He said slowly. "I never should have let it go this far."

After a few seconds of silence, Ryder shook his head and placed a hand on Jake's shoulder. "It is what it is, and we can't change it now." The leader spoke with a firm voice. "Focus on making things right."

Jake only stared into Ryder confident brown eyes for a few moments, and then he nodded. "Okay. . . What do we need to do?" He said with confidence in his voice.

"First-" Ryder was interrupted by his pup pad ringing. "I'm going to answer my pup pad." He finished, making the others laugh. "Ryder here."

It was Chase. "Ryder sir, we've programmed all the spy drones to search for Dundee."

"Great!" Ryder answered. "Don't send them all out, though."

The shepherd cocked his head to one side, "Why not?"

"Because it will look suspicious," the leader explained. "We don't want the people holding Dundee to know we're looking for him. The more drones we send out. . ."

Chase smiled as he caught on. "The more likely it is that the bad guys will notice them." The shepherd finished. "So what do you think Ryder?"

The teen rolled his eyes up to the ceiling for a moment to think. And then, after a few seconds, he looked back at the screen. "I would send out three." Before he could continue, the shepherd came up with his own plan.

"I'll leave Skye here to monitor them while Rocky and I go search on the ground." Chase said his voice filled with confidence.

"Good plan Chase," pride filled the teen's voice. "Sounds like you've got it under control."

As he received the complement, the shepherd blushed. "Thanks, Ryder sir. . . How's everything going there? Is Drake out of surgery yet?"

His leader nodded. "The doctor said he should recover in the next few months."

Satisfied with the answer, Chase asked another question. "Is Marshall doing okay?" Ryder noticed an edge of worry enter the shepherd's voice.

Instinctively, Ryder glanced at the Dalmatian who was trying to find a comfortable position to lie down. But he wasn't having much luck, however, because his shoulder hurt too much. Ryder was dreading this moment, having to figure out how to tell Chase that his mate had been shot.

Feeling his leaders brown eyed gaze on him, Marshall stood up and met them with his own bright blue ones. "Is everything okay Ryder?" He asked.

"Ryder." Chase said now with more worry. "Did something happen to Marshall?"

Marshall must have sensed his leader's indecision, because the Dalmatian hobbled over to him and looked at the pup pad. He smiled as he saw the shepherds face. "Hey Chase."

"Marshall!" the pup on the screen breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you okay?" Before the Dalmatian could answer, Chase asked another question. "Why is there gauze on your shoulder?" his voice now held alarm.

The Dalmatian sighed. "Someone took a shot at Everest while we were outside. . . She's fine, by the way."

"But you got shot in the shoulder." Chase said with a notable growl.

The Dalmatian nodded, and then he went on to repeat what he had told Ryder earlier. "The doctor said that the will be ready for me soon." He said when he finished. Almost on cue, the doctor gave a soft knock on the frame to the doorway making him look up. "In fact, I think he's ready now." When the doctor nodded, he focused his blue eyes back at the screen. "Don't worry Chase I'm in very good hands. . . Be careful Chase, I love you."

"I love you too Marshall" The shepherd responded in a low husky voice.

Ryder watched the Dalmatian make his way to the door with Everest following behind him. He watched them gently nuzzle each other. And then, as Marshall walked out the door, Ryder focused his eyes back at the screen. "Jake and I are on our way to The Lookout, so we can join the search." Ryder said cast his brown eyes at the man who nodded. "I'll see if Katie will come and stay with everyone here."

Again, the shepherd on the screen nodded. "See you soon Ryder, Chase is on the case!"

Ryder ended the call and looked at Jake. "Are you ready?"

Jake stood and zipped up his puffy jacket, "Let's go." He said with confidence that hadn't been in his voice for days. Then he locked his eyes on Everest. "We will get Dundee back, Everest. I promise."

Everest fixed her ice blue eyes on him, and after a moment she spoke. "Good luck."

* * *

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	11. Explanations and Ideas

**I'ts Alive! Sorry it took so long to update. No excuses.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"I didn't even know you _had_ a brother, Katie." Skye said focusing her pink tinged eyes on the girl.

Cam looked at the pup. "That's my fault." He said to the pup. "I'm pretty good at what I do at the agency and I've put a lot of bad guys in jail and made a few powerful enemies. If any of them knew I had a little sister, it would put her in danger." He wrapped his arm around her waist, and then kissed her on the top of her head. "I couldn't put my only family in danger like that. . . That's why most of the people at the agency don't even know I have a sister."

"I haven't told any of you for the same reason, because it's safer that you don't know." Katie nodded.

"In fact, if anybody asks you about me, I was never here and I don't exist." Cameron said. "Okay?"

Ryder nodded. "Consider us sworn to secrecy, right pups?"

"You got it, Ryder sir." Chase said as the others nodded.

Cam smiled wide. "Thanks guys." He turned to Ryder, "What's the plan?" He asked.

As the teen explained the situation, the man's eyes narrowed in thought. He turned to Jake. "You said one of the men came to talk to you?" When the other man nodded, Cam asked. "Describe him for me, please."

"Okay?" Jake said raising an eyebrow. He wasn't sure of how it would help, but he did it anyway. "He was in his thirties I guess, short brown hair with brown eyes, and he was about my height." He looked up at the sky for a moment. "Oh, and he had a beard."

Cam nodded and smiled. "I know him." He said as he turned to the others. "His name is Ben 'Stone' Mason." The man narrowed his ocean blue eyes. "I don't think he is working alone though."

Chase tilted his head to one side, "Why not?"

"Because Mason is more muscle than brains if you know what I mean." Cam said. Then after a moment, he gave a smile. "He isn't smart enough to pull off something like this, so he's probably working for somebody." Cam turned to Ryder, "But who?"

After thinking for a moment, Ryder shook his head. "I don't know. . . But right now, that's not important . . . We need to get Dundee back." The leader looked around to see all the pups nodding.

"You're right, Ryder." Cam said, "What's the plan?"

Ryder went on to explain about the drones, which Cam was very impressed by, then looked at Chase. "Change in plans." He said looking at the mix-breed. "Rocky, you're with me. And Chase, you go with Cam and Jake." Then he focused his eyes on Katie's ocean blue ones. "Can you stay with Skye?"

The blonde nodded. "Sure."

"Thanks. . ." Suddenly, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Ahem?" Cam said, and then cleared his throat. "Ryder, shouldn't we start?"

Ryder and Katie blushed at the same time. "Uh, yea. . ." he said finally taking his eyes off of her and focusing on Cam. "Okay, let's go!"

* * *

Marshall stirred, and the opened his blue eyes. He looked around to see Drake resting comfortably at the end to the room. Then his eyes rested on the ebony pup in the bed next to him. A split second later, he realized her brown-gold eyes were looking at him. "Hi," he said smiling. "I'm Marshall."

Isis smiled. "I know." She glanced at the husky curled up asleep in a nearby chair. "Everest told me."

As Marshall focused his eyes Everest as well, he felt tears spring to his eyes. "This has all been very hard on her."

"The two of you are close." She said. It was more of a statement then a question.

On cue, the Dalmatian nodded. "I feel like she's like my little sister. . . Skye too, but. . ."

"There's a special bond between the two of you." Isis said. When Marshall nodded, the Doberman spoke again. "That's a wonderful thing to have. . . " Her voice trailed off as the thought of a fond memory. After a few moments, she shook her head slightly to bring herself back to the present. "Anyway. . ." She cast her eyes on the grey-brown wolf. "Tell me about Drake."

The Dalmatian wanted to ask her what she had been thinking about, but decided that it wasn't his place. "Well. . . He only became a member of the Paw Patrol a few months ago, so we don't know much about his past." He focused his blue eyes on the ceiling. "Actually, now that I think about it, we don't know anything about his past."

"Really?" she asked, casting her gold eyes on him. When he nodded, Isis focused them back on Drake, "Interesting."

Marshall nodded. "We all have things in our past we want to forget." He said, echoing what Ryder had told him only a few hours ago.

"That's very true." Isis said nodding.

* * *

Ryder cast his brown eyes at the colors of the sunset sky. Even though he knew that in a few minutes the colors would fade away into the dark colors of the night, he had a plan. He opened his pup pad. "Jake, are you there?"

A second later, Jakes face appeared on the screen. "I'm here Ryder, how's it going?"

"Nothing yet," Ryder shook his head. "But we've been searching all day and there's not much left to search . . . We've got to be getting close." He looked up at the sky again. "It's going to get dark soon, so we need to meet up." He glanced at the mix breed. "Rocky brought night vision goggles for everyone."

Before Jake could say anything, Cam appeared on the screen behind him. "Way to think ahead." He said smiling.

"I wasn't a pup scout for nothing." Rocky said smiling as well. "I am always prepared."

Ryder smiled at the pup, and then looked back at the screen. "You guys stay put, we'll come to you."

A few minutes later, as Rocky gave everyone goggles, Ryder focused his eyes on Jake and Cameron. "Have you found anything?"

The other two men shook their heads. "Not yet," Cam said with a sigh.

Jake flashed a small smile. "Well at least our search area is getting smaller."

"There is that, I guess." Cameron said giving a small as well. After a moment, something occurred to him. "Do you keep a record of all the cabins on the mountain?"

Jake nodded. "Sure." A split second later, Ryder caught on to what Cam was thinking.

"No one is allowed to build on your land except you, right Jake?" Ryder asked.

The man focused his blue-grey eyes on Ryder and nodded, "Right."

"And, to get a phone signal. . . " Rocky added.

Jake put his head to his forehead and gave it a light tap. "Dundee is in one of the cabins on the mountain!"

"That's what I would do." Cameron shrugged. "It's kinda like hiding in plain sight."

Jake shook his head. "More like hiding right under my nose."

Ryder reached out and placed his hand on Jakes shoulder and squeezed. "You've had a lot on your mind, you know."

"I should have thought of it sooner." Jake said.

"Me too," Ryder said nodding. "But we can't change that."

"All we can do now," Cameron said, "is search the cabins."

* * *

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